Parking Resolution Propelled CVS Property Plans In Hatboro

HATBORO, PA —It wasn't just the façade changes that led to the Hatboro Planning Commission's recommendation to have plans to develop the former CVS property sent to Borough Council for consideration.

What propelled the decision was the agreement to work out parking for the project, which had become a bone of contention between the developer, the board, and residents.

Borough Planner John Kennedy broke down the parking spaces that would be available for tenants and for the borough and said that the review met the ordinance requirements during a nearly three-hour meeting last Tuesday.

He also gave the commission the option of a plan with and without six electric vehicle charging stations in an effort to prevent the loss of parking spaces for residents and shoppers in the downtown district.

The commission opted to go without the electric vehicle stations since some residents had previously stated that electric vehicles are somewhat frowned upon in Hatboro.

The commission recommended the plan by developers 24-28 South York Road Associates, LP, for a four-story building with 36 "high-end, professional" apartments and retail space on the first floor to go before Borough Council, possibly for its Nov. 27 meeting.

Kennedy explained the intricacies of an easement from 1986 that impacts parking spaces on the former CVS Property, Strawberry Nails Property, and the borough’s Moreland and Orchard parking lot.

The easement underwent reviews by the borough's solicitor and planners to determine how each party would be impacted.

"We have reached a parking agreement between the borough and the applicant," Kennedy told the 25 residents who had gathered for the meeting. "We had several meetings with the applicant. This is a very complicated issue."

Kennedy said he was left with the task of interpreting the 1986 parking easement.

He said that while CVS developers were entitled to half the parking spots in the lot behind the building, it was "easier said than done since things have changed since 1986."

So Kennedy broke down the 163 available parking spaces.

He said eight are allotted to the Strawberry Nails salon that was next door to CVS. He said another eight were eliminated over time for various reasons, with one being converted for dumpster space and another for handicapped parking access.

That left 147 parking spaces for consideration.

Kennedy divided them by two with the borough and applicant getting 73.5 spaces each. But with the way the apartment building will be constructed, the developer said that 10 spaces would need to go.

That dropped down the developer's number to 63.5 parking spaces, Kennedy said.

What also changed was the developer dropping plans for three-bedroom apartments, reducing the number of residents who may need parking spaces. The apartments in the application are now for just one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

Twelve commercial parking spaces are also needed for the retail aspect of the development, Kennedy said. There would also be two spaces for employees and a projected 54 for apartment dwellers.

Five spaces would also go for the front of the building, bringing the parking spaces for the developer to a number that satisfied the ordinance, Kennedy said.

The parking proposal will now go to the Borough Council along with the developer's land development and conditional use applications.

The CVS property was the first to be considered under the borough's mixed-use Town Center Ordinance.

In late January, the Hatboro Borough Council approved a mixed-use ordinance for a section of York Road.

The ordinance allows developers to make proposals that could see building heights go to 60 feet provided they meet certain guidelines, meaning that the downtown district could have taller buildings and apartments.

The option allows for buildings along York Road —from Byberry Road to Montgomery Avenue —to be taller than the current 35 feet allowed.

All plans need final approval by the Hatboro Borough Council.